Living Inside
by Toya Kei
Summary: Wanted for murder, 17 year old Vincent enrolls himself in highschool on the other side of the country to avoid being hunted down. He makes new friends and even a girlfriend, however, his troubles only worsen when he picks up his old habbits again.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1- The Runaway

"Alright men, you know what you have to do. Tranquilize and capture this murderous demon!" A large man spoke angrily, but slightly motivationally into a police scanner. Numerous large trucks pulled up in front of a grim looking mansion. Men and women wearing heavy armor and carrying an assortment of guns trooped out of the back of the trucks. Helicopters flew low above the building shinning spotlights on the dark place. "This freak is wanted alive!" The man shouted again into the scanner that was amplified with a large speaker so that all of the troops could hear him.

"Team Alpha, in position." A brawny woman said into her head set. "Team Beta standing by." Another man said.

"Alright, target is lethal and must not be taken lightly. Appearance is unknown but life signal scanner show there is a body on the fourth floor by the west corridor." The man that had spoken first clarified to his troops. Team alpha, consisting of 30 recruits, broke down the front door and headed up the fourth floor. Team Beta covered the proximity of the mansion to ensure that there was no escape. The woman who had spoken into the head set led the group accordingly to her life signal tracker. She heard a sound she wasn't expecting; the sound of someone playing a piano. Her team crept closer to the door where the music was coming from. There was no moon to illuminate the night so the only source of light came from the spotlights being cast down by the roaring helicopters from above. A faint silhouette could be made out in the corner of the room in front of an old fashioned piano. The group of people spread out into the room with large, portable guns.

"Put your hands behind your head and turn around slowly," The woman ordered the person playing the piano. The person stopped playing but made no effort to turn around or put his hands behind his head. "Do it!" The woman shouted louder than before. The person slowly swiveled around on the piano bench. He had his hands resting on his thighs, his pale, slender fingers caught in the spot light. His fiery red eyes catching a small portion of light were glowing slightly. The person blinked at the woman but said nothing. She motioned for some of her men to get closer and eventually grab the person in the corner. Before they could get to him, the person slowly withdrew what little bit of him was in the light and closed his eyes. Stepping into the shadows, his form completely disappeared.

"We've lost visual, is there still a life sign in the area?" The woman shouted into her microphone as some of her crew went to examine the piano area.

"Negative, target appears to be- hold on, he's on the run. Turn around he's right behind you!" The leader of Team Beta responded.

The woman spun around to face the door she had just entered and saw a shadow move quickly out the door into the hall. She shouted for her team to follow him, only it was too late. They lost visual on him again and there was no other life signal reading apart from them.

* * *

It had been happening for a while now. I can't quite remember when exactly it started. I always knew my body was different from that of a regular person. The first memory I have of it is when I was 5 years old, looking into a mirror seeing a… monster staring back at me. Luminescent golden eyes glistening back at me, penetrating my flesh with but a single glace. All I remember from that instance is that my skin felt as if it were stretching into pieces and my bones were rearranging themselves so that something could protrude on either side of my spinal cord. That's about the time I black out.

Every time I felt my body change in a horrific demon, my real self seems to loose consciousness. Only remembering bits and pieces of what happens before I return to normal form. My father said I shouldn't be in public places. Said, I was a danger to society and myself if I let my guard down. I've worked on forcing back the other side of me, resisting letting it take over me. My father is a scientist, and he studied me… or rather my other side. He wrote reports about me and brought me to his lab where people in white coats could take a look at me. After that; I haven't the slightest idea what happened, but 4 out 5 of the white coats died. It was then that my father had to hide me from the world. He preformed his own secret tests on me in our house. He said he needed to go away for a while for work.

I haven't seen my father or heard anything from him in 5 years. I lived alone in our old mansion. However, for some reason people invaded my house and tried to capture me. I managed to get away, but I can't go back there. I'm on the run; so I decided to go a public school, Neibelheim Secondary School to be exact. It's a boarding school, which is good, the commute from Edge to Neibelheim every day wouldn't be a huge time waster.

Today is the first time I've been outside of Edge. At this current time I'm on a train heading to my new school. I can feel the anxiety curling up in the pit of my stomach. Perhaps this was a bad idea, but I've never felt this much alone as I have in the past few years. My biggest fear would be hurting some one else. The blood of those scientists still stain my hands and my memories. If I did something like that once, I'm sure I'll do it once again. It's just a matter of where and when.

The train rolled into the Neibelheim station. I felt my heart stop. Whether I was feeling 98% excited and 2% nervous or 98% nervous and 2% excited, I could not tell. I grabbed my bags off the over head rack and steadily got off the train. There was a man standing holding a sign on the platform. The sign read my name, V-A-L-E-N-T-I-N-E. As I cautiously approached the man, I inspected him closely. He had pale skin and dark hair that was pulled back into a ponytail; the dark blue suit he was wearing made him look less like some one who worked at a high school and more like some one who one would find in court.

"Mr. Valentine?" The man said as he arched his eye brows upward, I noticed some sort of a birth mark on his forehead. It was odd because it was exactly dead centre.

I nodded.

"My name is Tseng." He extended a hand for me to shake. I glanced down at his hand for a moment. I've learned that contact with people I'm uncomfortable with sets my "other side" off. I merely nodded again to acknowledge his gesture. He continued, after awkwardly putting his arms and the sign he was holding down by his sides, "Follow me with your things; there's a car waiting for us." He led me to the other side of the platform, where sure enough, a slick black car was waiting our arrival. Tseng helped me load up my suitcases into the trunk of the car and then I hoped into the back seat while he himself claimed shot gun. A woman was sitting in the driver's seat, I could only see the back of her blonde head but I did also notice she was wearing the same type of uniform as Tseng. Tseng introduced her as Elena, but other then that, the rest of the 10 minute drives went by in silence.

Once we reached the school, Tseng took my bags to my new dorm while Elena took me to the head master to official introduce myself and get my schedule. She showed me to the office and that's where we went our separate ways. I entered the reception area and saw a young man with flaming red hair. He was talking on the phone with his back to the door. I didn't want to bother him so I headed straight for the Headmasters door. Right before I reached the door knob, I heard the phone click back on its rocker and I paused for a moment.

The red head cleared his throat. "And where do you think your going boy?"

I turned to face him, but said nothing. I don't enjoy meeting new people. I noticed that he had baby blue eyes, two scar-like red-orange tattoos on both his cheek bones, and was also wearing a similar uniform to Tseng and Elena; with a few alterations of course. (His had no tie, the jacket buttons were undone and the top 5 buttons on the dress shirt were missing. Also his sleeves were rolled past his elbows)

Apparently, I had done something that was funny because the hot head burst into laughter. "I'm just messing with you, go on inside. Oh, your face was priceless." I narrowed my eyes at him in anger and confusion. I hadn't changed my expression the slightest degree. I can tell he was going to make this experience for me rather difficult. Just then the door of the head masters office opened and a medium build man with strawberry blond hair and eyes just a few shades darker then the man with the flaming hair.

"Oh, I didn't expect you here so soon. Come on in Mr. Valentine." The man led me into the headmaster's office and motioned for me to sit down in a dark leather chair in front of the desk. The Room was packed with books, papers, filing cabinets. The desk however was neat with papers and folders stacked evenly in piles. There was a large porcelain pot in the corner with a monochromatic color scheme of blue. Inside the pot was a small fern, behind the desk were certificates and awards for various educational events. I sat down on one of the leather chairs and noticed a girl, probably about 17, my own age, sitting in the leather chair next to me. I hadn't seen her at first because her lengthy, dark chocolate hair blended into the chair. She looked up at me and I said she had deep burgundy eyes. Her skin was fair, except under her eyes where there were dark circles that looked like she hadn't slept in quite some time. She was wearing a plain low cut white tank top, a tight black mini skirt that came down to mid-thigh, a pair of rather large brown work boots, and black fingerless gloves. The man sat down at his desk and adjusted his name plate so I could see it. "Headmaster R. Shinra"

"Good to see you made it safely to my school. I've had the faculty take your things to your dorm as well as given them some folders for you to take a peek at abut our school with your things."

I nodded. I hope he isn't going to question or even bring up the fact that I had no records of schooling prior to this school. Or records of anything to be more precise.

"Now, Miss Lockhart, as your punishment, I'd like you to give Mr. Valentine a tour of the school." Headmaster Shinra folded his hands on his desk.

"What?! You're kidding me right?" She lurched forward on her chair.

He held his hand up gesturing that she stop talking. "You know the consequences of your actions, now get to it."

The girl scowled and rose from her seat. She grabbed my wrist and pulled me out of the office and into the hall. Her grip tightened as she passed the man with the red hair and relaxed as soon as she was clear of him. I felt the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. My skin started stretching and I could feel my bones start to shift. I bit down as hard as I cold on my bottom lip and clutched my chest to prevent the transformation. Finally, she let go. I sighed in relief and dropped my hands down to my sides. My bones and skin retained their original form and we continued to walk down a long hallway.

"Man, it's good to get out of there." She sighed as soon as we were out of ear shot of the front office. "These are the first floor bathrooms," she pointed to two doors with men and woman painted on in the middle. "Down there is the library. There are books and computers in there for all students." She pointed down a narrow hallway to the left that had two large double doors at the end. We continued walking through the building; she showed me the science department, math centre, creative arts hallway, the cafeteria, more bathrooms, Language rooms, the indoor pool, the gym and the change rooms.

"Name's Tifa by the way." She said as we climbed the stairs toward where the dorms were.

"Vincent." I was never much for words. We finally reached the top of the stairs.

"Everyone else is in class so we should be able to get through without anyone else stopping us." She walked down a long, carpeted hallway up to a room with the number 666. Figures they'd put me in there. The door was unlocked so we entered the room. My bags were sitting next to an empty bed in the room. Apparently I had a roommate. Half the room looked lived in, the other half was vacant. I'm guessing the vacant side was mine. I started to unpack my cloths and what not when Tifa picked up one of the folders the Headmaster had mentioned earlier. "Math, science, phys ed. and art." She read out loud. "Same subjects as me. It's almost lunch time, so there's not much point in going to science. I'd just chill out here if I were you and wait it out." She seemed really nice. Maybe it was something about authority that she had a problem with. Or… maybe it was the Headmaster…or the red head. I had just finished putting my cloths into the drawers, my all black wardrobe, (Black pants, black socks, black sweaters, black boots, black sneakers, black boxers- You get the point. Everything black other then the jacket I was currently wearing which was crimson. I don't actually own any t-shirts or shorts. The only skin I show is my face and my hands; and I even wear a crimson bandana over my forehead- keep sake from my father.) When I realized Tifa was staring at me as she sat on my new bed.

"You just brought cloths and school supplies?" She questioned.

I nodded and then shoved my now empty bags under the bed. Our eyes lock for a couple of minutes.

"Do you live in the area?"

I shook my head from side to side as I took my jacket off and hung it on a hanger in the closet on my side of the room.

"Alright, I guess you're not one for words. I'll respect that." She smiled sincerely.

I picked up the folders that she had put back on my bedside table and shuffled through them as I leaned against a wall. There was a room key included in the pile so I put it in my pocket. Truth be, told I was starting to feel a little bit uncomfortable. Okay… a lot uncomfortable. Not because of the fact that I was alone in a room with a girl sitting on my bed; but more so the fact that I was alone with anyone. The thing that terrifies me most is that I might loose control and take an innocent life away... again. I glanced and my hands.

I heard some sort of ringing just then; which was probably the school bell. I'm not completely sure though… never been to a public school, remember?

"Well, I should go. That's the lunch bell. I'll see you in the cafe. I'll save you a seat." She winked at me as she trotted out of my room.

Wait… she _winked _at me? That's new. I'd never thought of myself appealing towards the opposite sex. But I guess anything's possible. I was about to head down to the cafeteria when I noticed something on the hardwood floor of my room. I bent down to examine it and picked it up between my long, slender index finger. It was a hair… a long, silver hair about 5 feet long. What kind of roommate did I have?

I walked around and managed to find my way back to the main floor and into the cafe. I was starving, but… no matter how much food I eat it wouldn't help. I'd just end up throwing it up later anyways. Food and I have never been on a first name basis. I looked for that girl who said she'd save me a seat. What was her name again… -oh yea, Tifa. There were at least 500 kids in the cafeteria. Some were lined up with tray at a counter where rather prosperous middle aged women in hairnets and aprons were plopping mush onto their trays. I don't get it, that doesn't look edible. A walk into the cafe a little farther and felt the eyes of 95% of the student body (and most of the teachers) staring at me. I happened to catch numerous whispers about me, whether they were good or bad I did not know, or want to for that matter. Just then I saw… Tifa waving her hand in the air at me. I walked swiftly over to the long table she was sitting at. There were other people sitting there too. On the left side of the table was a rather large boy, not large as in heavy but rather large as in pumped, he had dark brown skin and his hair was braided tightly to his head. He wore a mess shirt underneath a white vest as if too illuminate his muscular form. Next to him was a young girl, probably in her freshman year with short black hair and dark brown eyes. She wore a tight shirt that showed her midriff and was sleeveless. Next to the girl was a bland young man who looked a little bit older then the rest of them. He had short blond hair and wore a pale blue shirt with a couple of dog tags around his neck. There was an empty seat on his other side. Across from him on the right side of the table, was a girl with auburn hair and bright green eyes. Her bang fell on either side of her face and the rest of her hair was tied back into a low braid that was held in a red bow. She wore a pink dress with a small sleeveless jacket. On her far side was another empty seat. On the side that was closer to me sat Tifa who scooted over on the bench to make room for me.

"You guys, this was who I was telling you about he's new here and-"She turned to the people she was sitting with to introduce me but didn't get a change to finish her sentence.

"He?! I thought he was a girl for a few minutes there." The blond hair guy cut her off in a mockingly tone and started laughing. This caused the girl with short brown hair to laugh too.

"Put a quark in it Cid!" The dark man made a fist at the blond guy. His rough, booming voice startled me a little bit.

Slightly irritated, Tifa continued, "This is Vincent, Vincent this is Barret," She pointed to the man who had made that fist. "Yuffie," She pointed at the girl sitting next to Barret who waved excitedly, "Cid," Pointing to the blond one, "and Aerith," She gestured at the delicate female with auburn hair.

I sat down without saying anything. I still felt eyes on me… and it was still uncomfortable. Just then the doors to the cafeteria flew open and two 17ish boys came running into the room. One of them had dark hair that was spiked backwards, behind his head with a single strand dangling in front of his face and the other had an extremely light shade of blond hair that was spiked in every which way that for some reason looked a bit similar to that of a Chocabo's head. Both were wearing different colors of baggy jeans and t-shirts. Their eyes were both a bold and vibrant blue. The blonde one grabbed an apple of some other kid's tray and starting running towards the table I was currently located at. The other one didn't stop to grab anything just ran straight for the table. He jumped up on the table and ran towards one of the empty seats, almost spilling some ones tray of food in the process. He jumped into the seat next to the girl named Aerith while the other one skidded to a halt and sat down across from him. They looked at each other and flashed a toothy smile then stared intently at the double doors they had just burst through.

"Wait … wait for it…" The Blonde one whispered in a low voice. There was a small explosion on the other side of the door. A man burst through the door, all of his features suggested that he was angry. His face was covered in charcoal but I could tell the he had a reddish-brown color of hair that was about shoulder length. The two boys that had sat at the end of the table laughed and gave each other a high five. The man was probably a student and he was headed in our direction. His mouth was drawn up in a grimace. I felt so out of place. I had no idea what was going on, nor did I enjoy watching other people's misfortune.

"Hey Genesis, Big G. What happened to you?" The dark hair boy acted as if he were innocent and had no idea what had just happened.

"You know very well what happened Fair!" the man, Genesis, I guess his name was, grabbed onto the dark haired boys shirt and pulled him up to his face.

"Moi? Whatever do you mean? I was in here the entire time," The boy gave a smile that looked more mischievous then innocent.

"You're lucky your girlfriends watching, otherwise I'd-"Genesis was cut off in mid sentence

"Genesis!" A Stern voice shouted from the other side of the cafe which caused him to turn and look at who was calling him. "Detention, after class!" Headmaster Shinra called out. Genesis let go of the boy and trudged angrily out of the cafe. I turned to look at the other two boys who were continuing to laugh.

Tifa introduced me to the two newest members at the table, the blond one was Cloud and the one with dark hair was Zack. The rest of lunch went by quickly; people still watched me but didn't attempt to engage me in any conversation. I guess Tifa had told them I didn't talk much. I was grateful for that. After a while I left the cafe to head back to my room to get changed for gym. I grab a long pair of black pants, my black sneakers, and a black shirt with long sleeves. I threw them on and headed down to the gym. The gym lights were bright and they blinded me for a brief moment. I walked into the gym and saw some familiar faces, Cloud, Zack, Barret, Cid, and Genesis (who had cleaned up since the first time I saw him). Then some other ones I didn't recognize. One had chin length dark hair that was evenly parted in the middle and then other had long silver hair that come close to his ankles. Then a group of girls walked into the gym. Among them were Tifa, Yuffie, and Aerith. Some other girls I hadn't met yet trotted in. The only one that stood out though was a girl with bold yellow hair and bright red lipstick. Everyone was wearing shorts and a t-shirt except for the silver haired man and myself. He was wearing pants and a long sleeved shirt also.

"Settle down." A bald man with dark skin, just a tint or so lighter then Barret's walked into the room wearing the same style of uniform Tseng had been wearing and a pair of dark purple sunglasses, even though we were indoors.

Tifa walked over to me and whispered something, "That's coach Rude; don't get on his bad side. He has a temper like you wouldn't believe." I nodded slightly to acknowledge that I had heard her without making eye contact with any one else.

"Today's activity is dodge ball," He said unloading a sack of foam balls he had been carrying. "Boys vs. Girls… and new kid."

The girls went to one side of the gym while the boys when to the other. The Coach passed 10ish balls out and to us to have at. Then he left the gym. I trudged to the back of my side of the gym. I didn't want to get hit.

"Let's see what this new kid can do." One of the guys said. I didn't see who though. All I knew was the all the foam balls went for me at once. Naturally, because I didn't want to get hit, I dodged them all.

"What the hell was that?" The blond girl on my team shouted at me. "Stupid, you didn't even catch one." I'd never played this… game before. Or even knew what it was other then what the Coach had called it.

"Let it go Scarlet!" Tifa shouted as she pegged Barret in the back as he turned to pick up a ball. "Yes!" She jumped in the air in triumph. Barret threw the ball he had just picked up as hard as he could on the ground from defeat. Cid jumped into the air aiming for the girl named Scarlet and flung another ball. As he was intently focused on hitting Scarlet, the young girl known as Yuffie burst out of no wear and chucked a bright red ball at him. She threw it slightly too high to the right and just missed Cid's shoulder. Zack dropped to his knees and caught the ball before it hit the ground. Their team cheered as Barret came back into the play. The man with silver hair threw a ball and it nailed Yuffie in the stomach. I heard the sound of the wind being knocked out of her then she went to sit on the sidelines. Aerith passed a couple of the foam balls to Tifa who ran up to the halfway line and whipped them at a few people. One hit Cloud, the second hit Genesis and the third hit the man with the black hair that went down to his chin and was parted evenly in the middle. None of them got off the floor.

"You guys are out!" Tifa shouted.

The three guys looked at each other in false confusion. "No we're not." The one with dark hair spoke. I noticed that his face seemed extremely hard, stern and rough. His brow was arched downward and he looked as if he were about to kill some in the room.

"You are too Angeal!" I hadn't seen Yuffie move, but she was suddenly in the dark haired boy's face and she poked him in his chest with her index finger. "Stop cheating!"

"Yuffie it's only a game." Aerith said in a soft, gentle voice. I could tell by the way she sounded, that she was a patient person.

"He's cheating though…" Yuffie's voice was higher and slightly exaggerated on the sadness factor. She heaved a heavy sigh and retreated back to the side lines.

Coach Rude came back into the gym and told us to hit the showers, which meant, _you smell, stop stinking up the gym. _Unfortunately, the bathrooms were for more then just one person. The showers didn't have any sort of _privacy. _I didn't want any one bothering me about what was under my clothes. I defiantly knew that there'd be questions. I'd have to wait for the showers to be empty to get cleaned up, probably early in the morning or late, late at night. I skipped the shower and went back to my room to change clothes. More black attire, well, the same out fit I'd been wearing before gym. I grabbed my pencil case equip with all my artistic needs and scuttled down to room 10, the art room. I didn't recognize most of the other kids there. The only ones I did recognize were Tifa and Aerith. Aerith was painting with water colors on a canvas in the back of the room. Tifa was sketching something in a large artist's sketch book. I walked in silently and glanced over her shoulder to see what she was drawing. Still in the rough outline, I could tell it was of a person with their arms around their knees under a tree. I couldn't tell what else was in the sketch because the lines were too faint. I sat down next to her and open my own sketchpad.

"Do you like it?" She held up her in-progress sketch. I nodded. "I wish I had wings. Then I could fly away." She said in a day dream-like voice. I learned something in art; people tend to get into some sort of zone when they're doing something creative. I myself was oblivious to my surroundings. I just sort of, kept drawing. I'd been drawing ever since I was put on _lock down _by my father. I had nothing else to do so it seemed like a good idea. I was somewhat startled when the bell rang for class to finish.

"You want to hang out after school?" Tifa smiled, breaking my trance. "Just me and you though, so you don't have to worry about being uncomfortable." Her kindness was warming.

I nodded. She must be getting frustrated with that. "Go put your things away and meet me outside the cafe." I did what she said. Ran up to my room, shoved my things away, and then met her down by the cafe. I was just coming down the stairs when I saw that red haired teacher talking to her, remember, the _funny_ one? I was just close enough to overhear their conversation but not close enough that they could sense my presence.

"Hello Miss Lockhart," The red haired man said in a tone I couldn't quite place.

"Go away Reno," Tifa's back straightened and she clenched her fists.

"Oh, now don't be like that. I noticed you're spending a lot of new time with that new kid. I'd almost thought you had replaced me." He said in a mocking tone.

Tifa bit her lip. I could see the fire in her eyes. The man, Reno I guess, gave a smug smile and leant down close to her ear. He whispered something to her that I didn't hear and then walked away, triumphant. Tifa's face turned a ghostly white and she stood motionless for a few moments. When I was sure that Reno had left, I approached Tifa. She turned to face me and forced a smile on her face.

"Ready?" She acted as if the whole conversation hadn't happened.

We left the school grounds and headed towards town. There were children laughing and running around and adults shopping and chatting with each other. Neibelheim was quite like Edge. It was shabby, but at the same time... cosy.

"This is where I grew up," Tifa broke the silence. "My house is way on the other side, I'll show you!"

I followed her down the main street of Neibelheim and towards a few houses that were set of from the rest of two. Hers was the smallest. It was more like a multi-story shack, but I wasn't going to tell her that. The windows were dark and the shingles on the roof needed to be redone. She unlocked the front door and we entered the house.

"This was my mom," She picked up a picture frame that looked like an older version of Tifa. "She died when I was just 8."

"How-?" I began ask when a man walked down the stairs of her house. He was probably in his early 50's. The man had dark grey hair and was large in stature.

"Hello Tifa and Clo-," The man said to us.

"Hey dad, this is Vincent. He's new here."

"Hello there." He extended a hand towards me. I didn't take it, I just exchanged a greeting. "Tifa, where's Cloud?" He pulled his daughter aside to talk to her in a low voice. I pretended not to hear.

"He's with Zack and Aerith," she matched his tone. "Hey Vincent, let's get out of here," she spoke up and turned toward me.

I nodded and we left her place. We walked along a path and soon found ourselves under an orchard. The trees looked like they had apples in them... only they were purple. I had never seen that before. Weird.

"You know, that's the first time I've ever heard you speak," Tifa said as she sat down in the shade with her back against a tree trunk.

I sat down as well, but said nothing. I felt, well, embarrassed.

"Cloud and I grew up together. I met shortly after my mother passed away. I thought if I could climb high enough, I could see her with the angels on top of Neibelheim Mountain. Cloud told me not to, but I wouldn't listen to him. So he tagged along. There was a rockslide and I fell. I broke my arm, but the worst part was that Cloud still blames himself. After that Cloud and I were best friends. But... then Aerith came to school here and he doesn't seem to care about me anymore. Aerith is with Zack, but in a way, Cloud idolizes Zack. I haven't told my dad about Cloud and I going our separate ways yet. But I think he might have guessed it when he saw you instead of Cloud today. It's been just my dad and I living in that house. It's not the nicest house on the block but its shelter and that's all I really need."

I picked up a blade of grass and was twirling it between my fingers, just thinking over the story she had told me. "Alright, now spill. I told you my story, let's hear yours." She broke my train of thought.

"Well... what did you want to know...?" I said in my deep, low voice hesitantly.

"Anything! Everything!" She smiled.

"My home is in edge... my mother died giving birth to me. My father is a scientist...." I wasn't sure what exactly she wanted to hear.

"What's edge like?" She asked.

I was silent. I actually hadn't really been outside too much as I was growing up. Sure I knew what it looked like, but that was about it.

"Alright then... Sensitive subject. I got it."

I smirked to myself. She had no idea.

"I'm sorry. I'm just not... comfortable with sharing that stuff just yet."

"It's fine. If you need some one to talk I'm always here," Her smile reached her eyes, she was very beautiful. She leaned in really close to my face. "I never realized you have red eyes."

"Hey... Tifa!" A male voice shouted out. "Where have you been baby?" I looked up to see three... thugs headed in our direction. They looked like clones of each other; the same blue-green eyes and the same silver hair. The one that had shouted at us was in the middle; he had strait shoulder length hair. The one to his right had silver hair that went down to his lower back and the one to his left had short hair that was slicked back.

Tifa stood up immediately. The three boys continued to walk closer. The one with short hair chuckled when Tifa balled her fist and stood in a martial arts stance. "This should be fun." He said.

"Hey Kadaj, think she's happy to see us?" The one with the longest hair said in a tired, exasperated voice.

"Not a chance," The one in the middle said as he flicked head in our direction, signalling the other two boys. There was something about them that I did not like at all, or maybe it was them in general. The once with short hair ran up to Tifa and caused a distraction by throwing punches that Tifa easily blocked. The long haired one snuck up from behind and grabbed her in a bear hug, immobilizing her. I should probably do something. But I knew if I did, I would go too for and end up maiming or even killing some one. Tifa used the long haired guy as leverage and brought her knees up to her chest. With all her energy, she booted the short haired one in the chest while pushing her way out of the grasp of the other male. Tifa landed soundly on the ground while the two men stumbled backwards, gasping for air. Tifa ran towards the short haired one and punched him squarely in the nose. She cried out in pain as he rebounded and grabbed her hair. That cry was what set me off.

"Enough," I said in an even voice. I stood up as they flung Tifa to the side. She had fallen unconscious and lay motionless on the ground other then here torso moving up and down with each rugged breath.

The short haired one chuckled. "So you wanna play too?"

"Leave," I said. I felt my anger turning up inside me.

"What? You aren't up for the game?" The long haired one said.

The short haired male ran at me at lightning speed and grabbed my shirt in a stone hard grip. Subconsciously, I grabbed his arm and flipped him on his back. I just needed to hold back so I didn't go completely demon…

* * *

"Vincent, this is where I work; in this big laboratory. Would you like to see some things I do in here?" A prosperous man with bold crimson eyes, long dark hair, and a black cloak stood in front of a locked door.

The little boy the man had with him nodded a shy smile. The Little boy was a younger and thinner replica of the man. The man unlocked the door and entered the room. The little boy was amazed at all the vials, potions and ongoing experiments he saw in the room once the man had flicked on the light switch. One in particular caught his eye. An orb slightly bigger then a tennis ball floated inside a glass container. Tubes ran from the container to a variety of different machines that we spitting out data by the second.

"Father? What's this?" The boy asked as he pointed to the glowing teal orb.

"That would my latest discovery. It's called the protomateria-" The man put his hand on the boy's shoulder.

The door opened and a beautiful woman entered the room. She had long sandy brown hair, green eyes and a bright smile.

"Professor Valentine, I heard you arrive and was hoping you could-," She paused for a moment noticing that there was more then one other person in the room. "Hello," She beamed a large, brilliant smile towards the young boy who hid behind his father's cloak in shyness. "You must be Vincent, my name's Lucrecia. Professeur Valentine I didn't realize you brought your son in today. Does this mean I should get my equipment?"

"Yes, Vincent is eager to see what we do here." The man ruffled the young boys hair. The boy looked up at his father both anxiously and excitedly as the woman left the room. "Here, sit down on this chair and relax." The boy sat down in a chair one would usually find in a dentists office. The woman returned with a large bag that she gently emptied out on the table. She pulled up a chair close to the boy and pulled out a long, empty needle.

"Vincent, is it alright if I take a sample of your blood? I'll be gentle." She asked the boy. The boy nodded.

The man shut and locked the door to be careful no one else would enter. The boy shook violently as the needle broke skin. The woman cried for the man to assist her. He rushed over to her aid and pinned the boy down. The boy's eyes had rolled back in his head, his teeth were clenched together, and his fingers curled around the chair's armrests so hard that his hands were turning white. The boy snarled as his eyes flicked back around front again, only instead of the crimson they were bright gold.

"Hurry Lucrecia!" The man shouted as restraining the boy grew harder and harder.

"I'm almost done." She said. "There!" She pulled the needle out of his skin. The young boy over powered the man and started howling in pain and thrashing around the room, looking for an escape.

"Vincent! Come back!" The man shouted as he lunged at the boy holding him tightly in a bear hug so he couldn't get free. The man whispered the boys name in his ear several times. The boy go loose of his grip and slashed at the door leaving long, unbroken claw marks imprinted.

"Vincent!" The woman let out a long, drawn out cry, hoping to snap him out of it. The boy started choking and fell to the floor. Neither the man nor the woman helped him. The boy rested his entire body on the ground after a few drops of blood fell out of his mouth and onto the floor. The man cautiously stepped towards the boy while the woman remained frozen in fear. The young boy slowly extended his arm towards the man.

"Fa..ther, what's wrong with me?" The boy's crimson eyes closed shut as he drifted out of consciousness.

* * *

My head felt as if I had just hit it with a lead pipe. I pulled my fingers to my face to cover the blinding sunlight. It felt as if I had been in dark solitude for hours. Wait... I remember now, Tifa... three boys. I pulled my hands away and looked around. My eyes had just finished adjusting when I noticed blood everywhere. On my hands... all over the grass... and on my clothes. I felt my heart racing in fear. Four bodies lay motionless on the ground. The three men that had attacked Tifa were sprawled across the grass. I couldn't believe how barbaric they looked, claw marks all over them. The short haired one's neck was bent in an odd way, the one with shoulder length hair's eyes were open and I say the looked of pain horror and shock still on his face, the third one was laying at the base of a large tree, his blood running down the trunk. Their chests had been shredded to peaces. Most of their ribs were protruding from what was left of their rendered torsos.

Then it hit me. This feeling... I wasn't starving anymore. Somehow my hunger had been satisfied. My never-ending thirst had been quenched. I touched my hands to my mouth. I almost jumped out of my skull when I lowered my hand so I could see the wet crimson running down my fingers.

I was horrified. I couldn't... I didn't want to be this monster. I can't control myself. I have to hide this. Perhaps no one saw what had happened. I had forgotten about Tifa lying on the ground, I ran to her; a little bit of dried blood ran down her head from when she had been thrown. She was still passed out. I scooped her up in my arms and brought her to a pond away from any houses or people, away from the mess I had made. I cleaned off the blood on her face first and then the blood on me.

Silently, moving in the shadows so no one could see me carrying the body of a teenage girl, I headed back towards Tifa's house. I listened for to hear where her father was. When I heard him in the kitchen, I climbed into one of the upstairs windows in Tifa's home. Luckily for me, I had entered her room. I placed her on the bed as soon as I heard her father call out and ask who was upstairs. I must've made too much noise trying to pry open the window. I hoped out the open window and hid in the shadows careful not to let her father see me. I saw him look out the window confused then he left. The sun was still up so I wondered around town for a while. I saw a tall building half covered in ivy with a large stain glass window. There was a cross on the roof. It intrigued me. I'd never been in a church before, so I wondered in. There were a few holes in the roof and cobwebs all over the place. The benches were askew and covered in dust. Looked to me like no one had been in there for a while. I walked into the church a little further and saw some one sitting in the front row. I was able to make out her form as a girl I had first met at lunch, Aerith.

"Hello Vincent," She turned to me with a gentle smile. "What brings you here?"

"I don't know; it looked like a place I needed to be."

"I feel the same way. Also, I don't like the sky, it, well, scares me." She looked away shyly.

"Why is that?" I looked around then church some more, my eyes sweeping my surroundings.

"It feels like its trying to pull me into it; like it's sucking me in." She continued to look in the other direction. Scared… of the sky? I've never heard that one before. Just then I heard some sirens go off and people shouting in town. "We'd better get back to the school," she said, I agreed with her. As quickly and with as little attention as possible we crept back into the school grounds. When we arrived, we found that everyone was running about in a panic. I wondered what had happened, but I think I already knew the answer. Those three guys by the orchard, no doubt some one had found their bodies by now. I hope Tifa was alright and that her dad wasn't asking her too many questions. A voice sounded over the intercom instructing all faculty to head to the front office and all students to return to their door. I thought that it was Headmaster Shinra's voice over the P.A. but it sounded too flustered to clearly identify whose it was. I headed up to my room before anyone saw me. I wasn't in the mood to talk. I felt my head racing and my fingers shaking. What if the found out it want me. What would they do? Send me back to the lab? Expose me to everyone? Kill me? Enslave me? I could hardly grab the handle to my dorm with my fingers shaking uncontrollably. I popped into my room and closed the door. I noticed the lights were already on and that there was some one else in my room. One of the boys I had seen when I had gym. I can't remember his name but he had long silver hair all the way down to his ankles, a slender face, and a narrow nose. His eyes were mako blue with slit pupils that had a greenish tint around them. I noticed that his eyes were red around the edges, wither it was from lack of sleep or he had been crying, I could not identify. He was lying on his back on the other bed in the room that had already been claimed when I unpacked. He was reading a book but didn't look at me as I entered the room. I flopped down on my bed and rolled over; no wanting to talk to whoever this person was.

"Would the following students please report to the main office; Tifa Lockhart, Aerith Gainsborough, Yuffie Kisargri, Zack Fair, Cloud Strife, and Vincent Valentine." My eyes widened. They knew, they knew, they knew, they knew, they knew….! Alright, I'll just go down to the main office and see what's going on. If it goes south, I'll run back to my room, pack my stuff and take the first train out of here. That sounds good… I got up off my bed and strolled out the door, fists clenched tight. I just got here; and, truth be told, I kind of liked it. As calmly as I could, I went down to the office were I was supposed to report to. Apparently I was the last one. Tifa, Aerith, Yuffie, Zack, and cloud were all sitting on the bench outside the office. I sat down in the only open spot next to Tifa. I leaned in towards her and asked her what was going on.

"I don't know." She whispered back looking away she looked anxious. Tifa pulled her knees up to her chest and looked as if she were deep in thought. She stared into the distance, long intervals passed between her blinking. A few teacher walked out of the office and stood in front of us. One teacher was that obnoxious red head I had first seen on the from when I got here then again talking to Tifa, my gym teacher, Coach Rude, Tseng, Elena, Headmaster Shinra, and a small woman with wavy dark red hair and emerald green eyes. Each of them held a clip board in their hands as well as a pen.

"Aerith, would you follow me?" Elena asked and she headed down the hall into an open classroom.

"Zack," the small woman with dark red hair motioned for him to follow her.

"Yuffie, please step into my office," Headmaster Shinra opened the office door and Yuffie stood up.

"Strife." Was all Coach Rude said and walked into another vacant classroom.

"Miss Lockhart," The red haired man smirked to himself and proceeded down the hall. She gave me a horrified look and followed him.

"Alright, that leaves just you and me Vincent. Follow me." Tseng turned to me. So I followed him. We entered a classroom that had 3 windows, about 25 desks, 4 black boards, 8 lights, marble floor tiles, beige coloured walls, a large wooden teachers desk and several posters saying not to drink and drive, no love without a glove, smoking a cigarette is putting one foot in the grave, etc, etc. Tseng sat down on one of the front row desks with on foot on the seat and the other on the floor. He motioned for me to sit on one of the desks in front of him. Nervously, I sat down in a desk two rows in front of him.

"Vincent, do you know why you're here?" Tseng asked, meeting me eyes. I noticed that his were stone cold. I shock my head a few times. "This afternoon three boys that went to this school were found dead outside of school grounds. According to our perimeter surveillance you were seen leaving school ground before they were murdered with Miss Lockhart and were seen returning to school after they had died with Miss Gainsborough. What can you tell me about this?"

* * *

"I was with Cloud the entire time. I never saw those guys. What beef would I have with freshman?" Zack said to the dark redheaded woman.

"Can you tell me anything that will help us find the real culprit?" She asked, writing something down on her clipboard.

* * *

"Naw, I don't know anything. I was just hanging out with Zack at the park, just east of the orchards. When we heard the sirens getting close we got out of there and came back to school." Cloud spoke smoothly in his interrogation.

"And you didn't hear anything, being right next to the orchard and all?" Rude raised his eye brows from behind his purple glasses.

* * *

"I was no where near the Orchard! I hate Dumbapples!" Yuffie exclaimed in outrage.

"Noted, where were you then?" Headmaster Shinra showing no emotion as he said this.

* * *

"I was… in the old church in town." Aerith smiled timidly, innocence reflecting in her eyes.

"Alright can you tell me what you do know?" Elena asked.

* * *

"Tifa showed me around town, then she said she was tired and needed a nap so I took back to her place and left. That's when I heard the sirens and went back to school." Okay, so I left out a few minor details. I was never going to confess to it. It's my burden to carry, and mine alone. I'm not going to tell him that it was really me all along. Hopefully in a little while people would forget it even happened. I doubt it though. There is nothing anyone could do or say that would make me feel guiltier. I need to control myself.

"Alright then, you're free to go for now. However the investigation is still ongoing so you might get called down the office later on."

I left the room and once again headed back to my bedroom. I guess the interview had run through dinner and I had missed the food. I wasn't hungry so I didn't bother even looking for any leftovers. The lights were out in my dorm so I silently entered and slipped into a clean long-sleeved shirt and baggy pyjama bottoms. I crawled under the blanket, lay my head on the pillow and closed.

...

"Vincent? Are you awake? You're father's filling out some forums and he sent me to check on you." A woman with long sandy brown hair, bright green eyes and a bright smile kneeled over a young boy who was lying with his eyes closed under a tree. The boy had dark raven hair, ghostly white skin, and bold crimson eyes that looked up at the woman when she began to talk. The boy gave a timid smile and sat up. "Mind if I sit with you?" The woman asked.

"Go ahead," He continued to stair at her.

"You know, I have a son too. He's the same age as you, 8. You two might get along." She smiled. "He's quiet at first but then again, you two have much more in common then you would think at first. I shall have to bring him to work one day so that you two can finally meet. You're hear practically everyday with nothing to do. I feel bad about it."

"I would like to meet him some day." The boy turned to her, eyes beaming with excitement.

…

"Grimoire! You have to hide him! If Hojo finds out about Vincent, you might never get to see your son again." The woman with sandy brown hair started crying. "He won't even let me see my own son." Tears streamed down her soft cheeks as she buried herself in the chest of the man she was talking to. "He's a monster!"

"Lucrecia, Hojo will not get Vincent and I will not rest until you get your son back into your arms. That's a promise." The man embraced her.

…

"Experiment 413 A is progressing nicely. However, there are certain aspects that need work. Subject is resisting all attempts to transform and is refusing to eat when given the chance to." A man examined the young boy closely. "If 413 A continues to exhibit such behaviour, a more physical approach will be made."

…

"Vincent! Don't kill me! Please, I want to live." A girl with dark brown hair and chocolate eyes pleaded on the floor. Blood ran down her body, seeping out of massive claws marks. "Please… Please…" She cried. I leaned in for a final swipe to the throat. With all my force, my claws made contact with her skin.

…

I woke up in a pool of sweat, my heart exhilarating and my panting quick and rigid. I felt my pulse all the way down to my finger tips. My head felt as if it had gotten hit by a train. I looked at my alarm clock to see what time it was, 5:30 in the morning. The showers would most likely be empty by now and I probably would get back to sleep again so I may as well go get cleaned up. I walked into the bathroom with my toiletries and picked the shower in the farthest corner. After undressing, I wrapped a towel around my waist, grabbed a bar of soap and some shampoo from my bag. I took my towel off and started the water. It was steaming hot. I let it run down my skin. I winced as the boiling water rolled down my back and onto my scars, some recent, some old.

I'm now sitting in math class. My teacher is that dark red head woman, Cissnei I discovered her name to be as it was on her front desk and written at a far corner of the black board. Nothing too interesting happened there. Just a lecture about some useless calculation formula that I would have no use for. I stole glances at Tifa every now and then. The dark circles around her eyes were the first thing I noticed. She had probably been up all night, worrying. I wasn't sure how to start a conversation with her after what had went down in the orchard. Did she know? God, I hope not. She's a nice girl and I shouldn't drag her into my problems.

"Alright class, remember to finish pages 345-350 for tomorrows lesson." Cissnei said as the bell rang to change classes.

I noticed Tifa taking her own sweet time packing up her things. So I waited patiently. She strolled out in to the hallway where I met up with her so we could walk to science together.

"Morning Tifa." I said in a low voice.

"Hey Vincent," She gave me a meek smile that didn't quite reach her eyes and looked as if she was forcing it.

"What's wrong?" I asked stopping her in the hall.

She paused for a moment and then opened her mouth to say something and then closed it when nothing came out. After a few more moments of silence, Tifa looked up at me and said, "Do you want to ditch?" I agreed with some hesitation. I didn't know what _ditch_ meant, but I soon found out that it meant skipping all classes. We put our stuff away and left school grounds. She brought me back to her place and opened up her garage. A shiny black motorcycle lay inside.

"Hope on!" She gave me a black helmet and put one on herself. Tifa threw one leg over her bike and started it up. I hoped on to her bike, carefully keeping as much space as possible from her without falling off. She revved the engine and we were off. She took a gravel road out of town. There was a large pothole in the ground and I fell backwards, luckily Tifa grabbed onto my shirt and pulled me back on the bike. I took the time to intake my surroundings. We drove down a narrow gravel road where full and thick trees isolated the path from the rest of the world. It was… calming. Gradually the trees faded away and revealed a large ocean on the other side. A building was slowly coming up in the distance. I wasn't close enough to make out what it said but I guessed that it was some sort of beach resort, what with all the beach umbrellas, lawn chairs, beach balls, etc. _Costa de Sol_ was what I was finally able to read on the side of the building. I noticed that some other people were waiting in the parking lot by a big white van and a couple more motorcycles. Zack, Aerith, Cloud, Barrett, Yuffie and Cid we standing there, talking to one another. Yuffie was the first to see us and she franticly waved to us, or rather Tifa. Tifa pulled up her bike next to one of the other bikes and shut it off.

"Yo," She smiled warmly at her friends.

"Tifa!" Yuffie ran up and gave her a big hug. I dismounted the bike, hoping silently that I would not become the centre of attention.

"Alright, everything's in the van! Let's grab it and hit the beach." Barrettes motioned towards his van and slid open the door. Everyone, including myself grabbed arms full of chairs, towels, sand toys, and umbrellas. Aerith grabbed a large picnic basket while Zack and Cloud brought out a large blue cooler. Cid dropped off his load of beach assortments in the spot he declared to _da best spot on the whole dang beach. _The girls, Tifa, Aerith, and Yuffie, got busy setting up their stuff. Barrett when back to the parking lot to lock up his truck, Cid had wandered off to pick up chicks or something like that; Zack and Cloud had striped down to their bathing suits and ran into the water already. I didn't own a bathing suit; I'd never owned a bathing suit. The girls went off to get changed in the change rooms which left me there by myself... alone. I stood there for a moment and then eventually sat down. I'd never felt sand before...never. I picked up a handful and held it at eye level. I slightly parted my fingers and l left each grain fall back to the ground in small rivers of sand. It felt... good. Lately though, a lot of things seem good. Ever since I wasn't starving anymore...I seemed... almost happy. Happy in a dark way. Not enough to show anyone though, not enough to smile or even laugh. I picked up another handful of sand and repeated the process I had done just moments ago. I repeated it once more. Truly sand was a marvellous thing-

"Oooff!" I felt my breath rush out of my body as I was hit in the back by a large object. I turned around to examine what had hit me. A large-and heavy I might add, egg shaped brown ball with white plastic stitching down one part. I rolled it from hand to hand. It seemed to be full of air. A soccer ball...?

"Heads up!" Barrett yelled. I flinched again trying not to get hit a second time. "I meant from before yo!" He burst out laughing. I looked over at him and noticed that he too was only in his swimming attire. "Pass back!"

I stood up with the ball in my and arched my brow at it.

"You've never thrown a foot ball?!" Barrett's jaw practically dropped to the sand.

"Foot ... ball...?" I mumbled to myself.

"Alright, I'll show you," He took the ball from my hand and positioned his hand on the ball. "Keep one hand on the laces and spin when you through it," The _football _spiral across the sand and landed a foot away from Cid who was talking to some lady at the snack shack.

"Watch it!" Cid grabbed the ball and threw it back at me. I was busy gawking at the nice spiral it had to it when suddenly it hit me square in the chest. I fell on my back on top of the sand.

The girls had just returned in time to see me land flat on my back. Perfect... you know you're cool when... The girls burst into laughter. My face felt hot, I didn't like the feeling. I got up back on my feet, took off my long red jacked and discarded it carelessly on the sand somewhere. I also kicked off my boots. That was all the skin I was going to show.

"You just gunna take that man?! Show him up, throw it back at him!" Barrett egged me on.

I gripped the ball tightly in my hands and wiped it with all my force at Cid. I called out his name. He turned around to get the ball squarely in his face. He threw his arms up in fury and ran at Barrett and myself with the ball. Barrett and I looked at each other for a moment and the started to sprint in opposite directions. Well... he jogged, I actually sprinted. Everyone stopped what they were doing and gawked at me.

"Holy shit!" Yuffie exclaimed.

I checked my body to make sure there was nothing wrong with my appearance. "What?" I finally asked when I couldn't see anything wrong. Cid, Barrett, Tifa, Yuffie and Aerith were all staring wide eyed at me. I titled my head from side to side.

"I've never seen anyone that fast," Tifa finally broke the awkward silence.

"That was cool!" Aerith smiled excitedly.

Zack and Cloud came running back to the beach to see what all the commotion was about. I walked quickly back towards the group of teenagers.

"You're my Hero!" Yuffie ran up and hugged my waist since that was all she could reach. My body went rigged underneath her hug. My teeth clamped tightly together and my eyes slammed tightly shut as I awaited the feeling of my demon surfacing. My hands ran up to cover my face. But there was nothing. No pain, no bones shifting, no transformation, nothing. What was different about all my other human contact...? Was it because I wasn't starving...? "Geez! It was just a hug!" She peeled herself off of me and I stumbled back a bit; still deep in thought.

"You guys want to play a game of football?" Tifa changed the subject, some how sensing my discomfort.

"Yea, but us guys don't want to hurt you girls. You know, you might break a nail or something." Cid put his face in Tifa's.

Tifa held up her finger to show that they were clipped quite short. "Shove it; I don't have any nails to break. Barrett and Yuffie are team captains."

Yuffie Squealed in delight. "I pick Vincent!"

"Hey! Who said you get to pick first?!" Barrett exclaimed.

"Because I'm awesome like that." She stuck her tongue out at him. Aerith stifled a giggle.

Barrett rolled his eyes. "Tifa."

"Zack." Yuffie smirked.

"Cloud."

"Cid."

"Aerith."

As the team went to the respective sides, Cid gave me the debriefing on how to play. I just had to get the ball to the other end. He said some other stuff that I didn't really understand, and probably never will. He just told me what my job was. Zack grabbed an umbrella and drew a halfway line in the sand.

"Ready, set-" Barrett grunted as he charged forward with the ball under his arms.

"I'm open!" Tifa ran up past the center and caught the ball Barrett had thrown. Yuffie dove out of no where and tackled Tifa to the ground. Yuffie seized the ball and told me to go long. I decided to run down the field. Yuffie threw the ball to Zack who passed it to me and I just kept running. Running to the opposite side of the beach. Cloud stepped in front of me, I had no time to stop and we collided. He started laughing when I seized the opportunity to get up, run some more and throw the ball on the ground as Cid directed.

* * *

The game went well. Barrett stepped on my wrist and I think he broke it. I can't really feel anything from my left elbow down, and it was a purple tint which didn't look too good. Fortunately Aerith found some gauze in Barrett's van. I refused to left her wrap it because she call all my scars into question, so I wrapped it my self when no one was watching and pulled my sleeve back over it and tied it all up in a sling. Aerith and Zack went for a walk along the shore to get some alone time. Barrett and Cid had gone to light up a cigarette by the van. Yuffie and Cloud were attempting to construct and elaborate sand castle. This left Tifa and I sitting on the beach.

"How's your arm, Vincent?" She smiled cheerfully.

"Numb..." I replied, looking at it in disgust.

She laughed. "We should take you to see the nurse when we get back to school."

"It's fine. I heal quickly." I wasn't lying to her. I do heal quickly... but I hate/fear anything along the lines of a hospital or a laboratory.

"So do you like Neibelheim?"

"I do."

"You seem happier today. I know it's only your second day here, but... well I guess it's too early to know exactly what you're like."

"Everything is new to me." I mentally kicked myself for saying that. She's going to think I'm a freak. Well, I am but there's not much point in letting her know that.

"You've never been to school before? We you home schooled?"

"Something like that..."

"That's cool. So was I up until grade 9. That's when I started high school."

I broke my gaze away from Tifa and stared at the rolling waves on the sea.

"You know..." I turned to meet her deep mahogany eyes as she continued the conversation. "You're one of the only guys that hasn't tried anything on me."

"What...?" I gave her a shocked and confused glare.

"You know... you haven't hit on me, or flirted with me or tried any cheesy pick up lines."

"I've lived a sheltered life..." I hesitated as I thoughtfully chose my words. "Even if I knew how to do any of that stuff..."

She flashed a pearly white smile. "You're blushing!"

I turned away quickly. The hotness in my face started up once again.

"You're kinda cute, you know that right? Not knowing how to play foot ball, never going to a real school, first time to a beach. I like watching the expression on your face when you discover something new."

... What was she trying to get at here?

"Don't worry, you're secrets are safe with me." She smiled even brighter then she had a moment ago.

"Thanks..." I said sourly. "And what about yours?" I changed the focus of the conversation back onto her.

Her face sadden, the smile vanished as if it were never there. "What secrets were you referring to?"

"You know secret things about me, but I don't know that many about you."

"What did you want to know...?"

"That red haired man... what is he to you?" I met her gaze dead on.

"... he..." Her eyes seemed to glaze over before she could finish.

"You don't have to answer if you do not wish to. It's none of my business-" I was cut short by a loud, sharp, shriek.

"GET IT OFF!" Yuffie ran up to Tifa flailing her arms in the air as if she were doing some sort of interpretative dance. A Large red crab was attached to the back of her bathing suit.

"I'm not touching that!" Tifa looked disgusted at it.

"GET IT OFF ME TIFA!" Yuffie Grabbed Tifa by the shoulder and pressed their foreheads together. I saw this opportunity to snatch the crab off and place it back in the water myself.

"Phew! Thanks Vinnie! You're a real life saver!" She skipped back to her sand castle building partner and acted as if nothing had happened.

* * *

The sun was starting to set when everyone had come back to beach from the various activities they'd been doing. All the stuff was packed up in Barrett's van. Cloud hoped on a motorcycle and sped off back to the school after saying good bye. Zack and Aerith shared a motorcycle and followed Cloud out of the parking lot. Barrett, Yuffie, and Cid all squished into the front compartment of his van. They waved us off as the left the beach also.

"Ready?" She asked me gingerly as she hopped on the remaining motorcycle. I climbed on the back, sitting much closer then I had before. The bike jolted to a start and I soon found myself with my non-broken arm wrapped around her waist.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2- New Allies

* * *

I rolled over in my bed. Another nightmare. Something I was used to. It had been two long, uneventful weeks since that day on the beach. I hadn't ditched at all, the weather was getting colder so going out into town didn't spark much interest amongst my friends. Me? I personally don't really care all that much about the weather. Though, if I had to choose, I'd pick a heavy rainfall. My had healed on it's own, no doctor needed, and it was good as new. My roommate always seemed to be out so I didn't really see him much. I found his name was Sephiroth, that's all I know about him. When he is in our room, he doesn't take, thankfully. We seem to share a silent appreciation of each other in the fact that we've shared hardly any words at all.

It was Saturday morning, which meant no classes. I rolled off the bed, put some clean cloths on, and bounded down to the cafe. The gang was there, sitting at the same table they sat at everyday, at every meal.

"Vincent!" Tifa yelled across the cafe, drawing unwanted attention to my person. Cid gave me a high five as I sat down at the table with the rest of them. I have received most of their acceptance. It was Cloud that didn't seem to really, acknowledge me. He seemed to grimace when he thought I wasn't looking. I've never had any beef with him; in fact, I've never really talked to him more then a casual greeting.

"What's the plan for today?" Zack asked.

"I didn't have anything planned. If no one else has anything we could probably go to that new restaurant in town." Tifa suggested.

"Don't they do karaoke on weekends?" Cid stuck his tongue out in disgust.

"That's sounds fun!" Aerith smiled.

"You all can see my mad skills," Zack flexed his arms.

"Since when do you sing?" Cloud contradicted.

"The day I see ya sing is the day I quit smoking!" Cid stood up and pointed a finger in Zack's face.

Zack stood up and smacked Cid's hand out of the way. "Well, _sir! _That day will be today! 6 o'clock- Mira's Joint!" Zack stormed off full of himself. He stopped right in front of the door and turned back towards the table and called for Cloud to come with him. Cloud scowled and left the cafe with Zack.

"Has anyone seen Yuffie and Barrett?" Tifa asked.

"She's gone back to Wutai for a bit. Her mother isn't doing very well," Aerith said softly. "Barrett is driving her out."

"Ah," Tifa nodded.

"I'mma gonna head out and lit one up behind the school… or maybe in the boy's room. Haven't decided yet." Cid stated then strutted out the door Zack and Cloud had left moment before.

As Cid was leaving, the red hair man, Reno entered the Cafe and starting walking towards our table. I knew he was bad news from the start. I felt my stomach turn, it made me sick just to looked at him. Tifa gradually lowered herself down the table as if she were trying to disappear. She cussed under her breath.

"Miss Lockhart, trying to hid from me?" He said in a cocky voice.

"Yes…" She said in a dry voice.

"Oh don't be like that dear. My offer still stands."

"As well as my answer, forget it." She turned her head in the opposite direction of him.

Reno leaned down and whispered something in her ear. Tifa stood up from the table. She didn't turn around to face him though. It was like every muscle in her body went stiff. Her arms, like wooden planks rested at her sides with her hands in fists. Her head was down and her hair gently covered her face. I could just barely see that she was shaking with hate and anger.

"Well?" Reno smirked to himself.

That was right about the time Tifa snapped. She spun around in her shoes and leapt at him. Aerith and I both stood up. Tifa grabbed the collar of his suit and launched her fist into is face. I heard his nose crack and blood splattered on both Tifa's and Reno's cloths. She pulled away and booted him in the chest. Reno skidded backwards on the tile floor, barely able to keep his balance. Preoccupied with the blood gushing out of his nose, he didn't see Tifa sprint towards him again. I took that time to intercept her. I ran in front of her just before she collided with Reno and she rammed into me instead. It hurt, I'm not going to lie, but I remained steady. Reno, Aerith, and Tifa all gasped in shock.

"Detention!" Reno barely blurted out. I threw Tifa over my shoulder, which she didn't like very much.

"I'll see you tonight Aerith." I said grimly. I scowled at Reno as I left the cafe. Tifa pounded her fists on my back demanding me to put her down. I walked down the hallway in silence.

"Vincent Valentine, you put me down right now!" She gave a swift yank on my hair.

"No,"

"I'm warning you… I'm going to throw up all over your back if you don't let go of me."

The nearest room was the girl's bathroom, much to my dismay. Fortunately, it was the weekend so a lot of people had gone home to see their families. I pushed open the door and plopped Tifa down on the sink counter. Thankfully, no one else was in the washroom.

"Oww…" She rubbed her stomach.

"Sorry," I said as I wet a piece of paper towel and started washing the blood off her arms and face. I handed her the paper towel and she wiped away the blood off her cloths then tossed it in the trash.

"That bastard…" She folded her arms across her chest.

"What exactly is going on between the two of you, if I might ask?" I backed up and l rested my back against one of the stalls. She turned her head, too ashamed to look at me. It nearly broke me heart seeing her like this. She was so nice to other people and she usually wore her heart on her sleeves. "I can't help you if you don't let me in." I sighed.

Her head spun so fast back in my direction I thought her neck was going to break. Tifa narrowed her eyes at me. "Look who's talking! I could say the same to you." She snarled. Just when I thought she had calmed down a bit.

"And how is it that you think I need help?" I straightened my back; I didn't like the direction this conversation was going.

"You think I don't notice?" She stood up and took a few steps closer to me. "You never start a conversation with anybody, you always pick the desks in the back of the classroom where it's darker, you never smile, when confronted with a question about your past you shy away. You're always wearing cloths that cover all of your skin, your hair is always half covering your face, and that day at the beach you didn't even touch the water. You refused to let anyone see your broken arm and you never eat or drink. Every time some one touches you act as if there's sticking a knife inside your chest." She threw her hands in the air then folded then once again across her chest.

"What answer were you looking for?" I scratched me head and found a new interest in my boots.

"Something! Anything! Just talk to me!" She grabbed my sleeves and held them tightly in her hands.

I sighed. "I'll show you why I always wear long pants and long sleeves." I walked over to the bathroom door and locked so that no one would wander into the bathroom and see me in my pitiful state. I told a couple of steps closer to Tifa but was still about 3 meters away from her. I reached up behind my head and grabbed my turtle neck from the back, pulling it over my head and discarding it on the bathroom counter. I heard a gasp escape from Tifa's lips. I gritted my teeth and clenched my eyes shut. I waited to hear her scream, or yell for help- something! Instead, all I felt was a hand on my chest. I opened my eyes to see what she was doing. To my shock, she was running her finger across my torso. Her hands traces the dark scars running down my shoulders and arms. Tifa seemed to mesmerized with the permanent scars across my body.

"What are you-?" I was speechless. _**Why**_ was she touching me…?

"Sorry," Tifa stepped back and took her hands off me. I grunted in reply then put my shirt back on, adjusting it to the way I had it before. I went back to leaning against the stall with my arms folded tightly across my body. I didn't like the feeling of being so exposed. "That explains a few things… You can talk to me if you want to Vincent. I'll listen if you need someone for that."

I mentally slapped myself. Why had I done that? Damn it Vincent, so stupid! Again, my boots seemed to become the object of my attention.

"Reno… he's such a pig! He follows me around the school, always stops me in the halls to say something perverted, and tries to…" Tifa began to nibble on her lower lip.

"To what?" I asked, not looking up.

"To get me alone… with him…" She turned and put her hands on either side of a sink, looking in the mirror at me. My head shot up without my consent. I looked at her then my own reflection. My crimson eyes looked as if a fire was burning on the other side of them. That cradle robbing mother fucker. She was 17! God damn it. Yea, she was old enough to make her own decisions, but he must be at least 25, maybe even 27. Disgusting!

"Vincent?" Tifa turned around to see if I was alright. I balled my fists and headed to unlock the door. "Where are you going?!" Tifa shouted.

"To kill that slob…" I turned to face her.

"No!" She ran up to me and pushed my shoulders up against the door. Human contact… not pleasant. "It's not your problem! It's mine." Her eyes filled with tears.

"I'm not going to stand by and let him exploit you!" I lowered my voice.

"So stay with me… don't leave me alone." She looked up into my eyes.

"Tifa…I…" I stuttered. She leaned in closer to my face. Our lips were about half an inch apart. "Tifa…" What the hell was she doing?! She leant in to close the rest of the gap. Her soft lips melted against my cold ones. Her arms slowly snaked around my neck and she rose on her to her tip toes and pressed her body against mine. A strange feeling swept through my body, a strange, foreign feeling. I remained motionless; I'd never kissed a girl before. She slithered her moist tongue into my mouth. I think that's about when I stopped breathing. Then she pulled away from me to catch her breath. I was still in shock.

She giggled, which snapped me out of my paralysis. I noticed that my throat had gone completely dry so I swallowed slowly. "You've never been this close to a girl before have you?"

I felt my fact go hot from embarrassment.

"All your secrets as safe with me. " She smiled.

I turned to head out the door.

"Where are you going?"

"…To have a cold shower…" I said in a low voice. I thought I saw her blush as I left the girls bathroom.

I went on auto-pilot to the showers where I got undressed and put my head under the frigid water. I put my hands on the wall and let the water calm me down. It felt like icicles were sliding down my back, but in a good way. Her body against mine… her lips… her hands running across my chest were all I could think about. I need not go into detail, all I have to say is what happens when a man gets aroused? Exactly… The cold water calmed _it _down. I sighed in relief. That had never happened to me before. Not even in the morning when I woke up… umm… never mind. It was as if all the blood in my body race to a certain area. In a strange way… I kind of liked it. I shut off the water until I was sure the feeling passed and toweled off. I threw my cloths back on and finger combed through my hair. I sighed in relief as I left the showers.

Two girls were walking down the hallway staring at me, I pretended not to notice. "I heard he and Tifa did it the girl's bathroom!" One of the girls whispered.

"Yea apparently he dragged her there and locked the door!" The other girl whispered. I kept on walking down the hall. Of course I knew they were wrong and misinformed however it wasn't really anyone business about what really happened. Not to mention I'd be wasting my time on pathetic people who thrive on gossip, rumors and misfortune of other people.

Suddenly I felt my stomach grumble. A wave of hunger swept over my body. I felt a roar in the back of my throat that must've come from my stomach. I hadn't eaten in 2 weeks; I shouldn't have put it off so long. I just didn't figure I'd have to feed so often. I need to eat at least once a week I guess. I couldn't eat _anything _until I was a ways away from the school, and even then I'd have to be smart about it. Not like the first time where I had almost gotten caught. I clutched my stomach and walked quickly through the halls. I heard more whispers as I went. I went back to my room to sleep the rest of the day until it was time to go to Mira's Joint, that's when I'll get something to eat.

* * *

Cid, Cloud, Tifa, Zack, Aerith, and I were all sitting at a table in the new restaurant. Cid's gaze would fall on me, then he'd switch back to looking at Tifa, then back to me, and he repeated this cycle for a good five minutes in silence. No one said a word for the longest time. Cloud tapped hid fingers repeatedly on the surface of the table in a rhythm. They all had eaten there dinner and I had sat there insisting I wasn't hungry. In way I was telling the truth. I wasn't hungry for _that_ kind of food.

"That's it! Cid! Throw your cigarettes away, because today's the day you quit smoking!" Zack jumped up and pointed at Cid. Cid just cocked an eyebrow at his dark haired friend. Zack bounded up to the stage and grabbed a microphone. The music started a new beat and Zack turned with his back to the audience. As the beat continued, he pumped the lower right half of his body up and down a long with it. "Oh uh oh oh… Oh uh oh oh…" He said over his right shoulder before turning around. Continuing pumping his hip and knee, he repeated himself several more times.  
"No sleep…  
no sleep until I'm done with finding the answer.  
Won't stop…  
won't stop… before I find the cure for this cancer.  
Sometimes…  
I feel like going down,  
I'm so disconnected.  
Somehow….  
I know I am haunted to be wanted.

I've been watching!  
I've been waiting!  
In the shadows for my time.  
I've been searching!  
For tomorrow all my life!" Zack kicked one leg in the air then bent over to sing into the micro phone louder. "Oh uh oh oh… Oh uh oh oh… in the shadows…" He continued his energetic song and the other people in Mira's Joint clapped and cheered. Aerith clapped excitedly, however Cid, Cloud, Tifa and I were gaping in astonishment at Zack. He was actually good. Zack bowed and gave a smug smile to Cid as he got off the stage. "Your turn," He said cockily to Cid.

Cid frowned and stormed up to the microphone. "Dum di de dum do de da da! Dum di de dum do de da da da da da!" A loud beat erupted from the speakers behind Cid.  
"Well I walk into the room,  
passing out hundred dollar bills,  
and it kills and it thrills,  
like the horns on my silver rider grills,  
and I buy the bar a double round of crown,  
and everybody's getting down,  
and this town ain't never gonna be the same!

'Cuz I saddle up my chocobo,  
and ride into the city,  
I make a lot of noise,  
'cuz the girls they aren't so pretty,  
riding up and down Broadway,  
on my old stud Leroy,  
and the girls say,  
save a chocobo, ride a cowboy!

Well I don't give a dang about nothing  
I'm singing and Bling-Blinging  
While the girls are drinking  
Long necks down!  
And I wouldn't trade ol' Leroy  
or my Chevrolet for your Escalade  
Or your freak parade  
I'm the only John Wayne left in this town!" He repeated the second part again, the chorus and threw in a bit of square dancing when he wasn't singing. The crowd cheered, I even clapped when he was done. Cid said nothing once his song was finished. He plopped himself back into his original seat and frowned.

"Cloud let's go up together, I don't want to go alone." Aerith said timidly. Cloud nodded and followed her up to the stage. Both of them grabbed a microphone and waited for their intro. A soft piano started playing.  
"How can you see into my eyes like open doors,  
leading you down into my core,  
where I've become so numb,  
without a soul my spirit sleeping somewhere cold  
until you find it there and lead it back home…" Aerith sang in a delicate voice.

"Wake me up," Cloud shouted.

"Wake me up inside" Aerith replied.

"I can't wake up."

"Wake me up inside."

"Save me."

"Call my name and save me from the dark."

"Wake me up."

"Bid my blood to run."

"I can't wake up."

"Before I come undone."

"Save me."

"Save me from the nothing I've become!  
now that I know what I'm without  
you can't just leave me  
breathe into me and make me real  
bring me to life"

"Wake me up," Cloud shouted.

"Wake me up inside" Aerith replied.

"I can't wake up."

"Wake me up inside."

"Save me."

"Call my name and save me from the dark."

"Wake me up."

"Bid my blood to run."

"I can't wake up."

"Before I come undone."

"Save me."

"Save me from the nothing I've become! Frozen without your touch without your love darling only you are the life among the dead." Aerith back up to let Cloud have the next part of the song to himself.

"All this time I can't believe I couldn't see  
kept in the dark but you were there in front of me," Cloud rap-talked.

"I've been sleeping a thousand years it seems  
got to open my eyes to everything," She sang back.

"Without a thought without a voice without a soul," Cloud said

"Don't let me die here," They both said in a raspy voice. "There must be something more!"

"Bring me to life…!" Aerith said again. They both repeated the chorus until the song was over. Everyone cheered and applauded them also.

"That was awesome!" Tifa smiled. "I guess I'm next." Tifa strode to the stage and picked up a microphone. She clutched it nervously as she waited for the music she had requested to begin to play.  
"Its not her fault that she's so irresistible  
But all the damage she's caused isn't fixable  
Every twenty seconds you repeat her name  
But when it comes to me you don't care  
If I'm alive or dead  
So objection, I don't wanna be the exception  
To get a bit of your attention  
I love you for free and I'm not your mother  
But you don't even bother," She sang her tango themed song really well, then she began is rap talk like Cloud had before in his duet with Aerith.  
"I wish there was a chance for you and me  
I wish you couldn't find a place to be  
Away from here…  
This is pathetic and sardonic  
Its sadistic and psychotic  
Tango is not for three  
Was never meant to be  
But you can try it  
Rehearse it  
Or train like a horse  
But don't you count on me  
Oh don't you count on me boy!" Tifa was amazing! People stood up and cheered for her wildly. A large portion of them were men. I grimaced to myself. Guys can be such pigs.

"You're up Vincent," She beamed as she sat back down in her pervious seat. I didn't respond to her or make any attempt to approach the stage. She gave me a swift nudge and stood up. My feet seemed to carry me to the stage without my permission. I stood in silence as if I were waiting for the microphone in front of me produce a beat of its own so I wouldn't have to. I looked around the restaurant, my eyes rolling over every face in the room. Some I had seen from school, other were strange and foreign to me. I picked up the mic with both hands and opened my mouth slowly. What the hell was I doing? Sure I could sing, just not in front of strangers… or any other person for that matter. On top of that, most of the songs I prefer are gothic and full of angst. My stomach let out a loud rumble, it didn't help that I was holding a microphone which amplified the sound so that the whole room could hear it. I needed food… now. I dropped the microphone on the floor and stormed out of the building, I heard laughter behind me, but that was the least of my concern.

The snow floated gently to the ground outside the restaurant. I balled my fists as I headed down a dark alley. There was bound to be some bums there lighting one up. I kept quite so not to startle anyone before I was ready.

"Yea that brunet was hot." A prosperous man around his 30's said.

"Totally, I'd defiantly tap that ass she had." Another man said. I bit my lower lip to stifle a snarl, pressing my back firmly against as brick wall in the shadows. There were 4 other men standing around smoking behind Mira's Joint. The back door of the restaurant was open a crack to let the men back in when they were finished. I crept along the shadows to the door and slammed it shut, casually leaning my back up against the wall. The all looked in my direction at once.

"Hey! What'd you do that for?" One man shouted.

"Who do you think you are punk?" Another man added. "Answer me!"

I said nothing.

"You got a problem kid?" A different man snarled as he took a few steps closer to me.

"I didn't want anyone to hear your screaming," I looked up at them through the hair draped over my face.

"You really want to start a fight, boy?" The prosperous one put out his cigarette by throwing it to the ground and stamping it out. "There's 6 of us and one of you."

"You're right, the odds are unfair." I stood up straight and folding my arms across my chest. "You guys will need at least 11 or 12 of you to get a _fair _chance." I smirked to myself. I was on a roll. I tilted my head slightly upwards to catch a better glimpse of my surroundings.

"You cocky little son of a-" The prosperous one said. However, he was unable to finish his sentence because in the blink of an eye, I had him pinned up against the wall by his throat. For once, I didn't fight to remain in human form. The regular transformation pain was still there, only… it didn't seem as bad for some reason. I wasn't in control anymore, but I could see everything that was happening. My demon had taken the reins and I was in the back seat, watching everything that was happening.

"Wh-what are you?!" A man shouted behind me… err… more like my demon now, Chaos. Chaos clenched the hand that was tightly around the prosperous man's neck and squeezed it shut. Blood dripped down the man throat and onto his clothes. The man's lifeless body fell to the cold snowy, ground. The alley was pretty secluded; the only exit was the one I entered from. Chaos lunged at the man who had asked the question. The demon started clawing at his face, tearing it the skin of piece by piece until the man's face was so mutilated that he could not use his nose of mouth to breath anymore. The four other men started barreling for the exit to alley way. Chaos jumped into the air and landed in front of them, their eyes wide with horror. Chaos grabbed the one closet to him and threw him against the cold wall. There was a large crack and his body fell limp, blood seeping out from an enormous crack on the side of his head. The demon threw him at one of the other guys with a significant amount of force causing the man to trip and stumble over. Chaos kicked the fallen man in the chest. Blood started dripping out of his mouth as he coughed and attempted to crawl away from Chaos. Chaos stomped on his legs, shattering his femurs. There were two men left and the both had begun yelling and pounding on the back door. Chaos grabbed them by their shoulders and dragged them away from the door. The demon smacked their heads together to stun them for a moment. One the men fainted and chaos dropped him and stepped on his chest, all his ribs collapsing beneath Chaos' weight. Chaos still held the other man by his shoulder. The man shrieked as Chaos dug is long nails into the mans flesh. The demon thrusted the man against the brick wall and began beating him to death. The man begged and pleaded to live but all attempts to reason with chaos seemed worthless.

"Down here! I heard screaming!" a new male voice was entering the alley way. Quite a few people were with him, judging by the number of footsteps echoing around the corner. Chaos dropped the man he was beating and jumped into the air, perching himself on a rooftop overlooking the scene. I felt a violent shake erupt from my body and I returned my human form. Chaos hadn't gotten a chance to feed. The two of us were still starving, I've have to go out again. Roughly 15 people ran into the alley. 5 of them were police officers and were wielding large guns, 7 of them were doctors and/or nurses and the remaining 3 looked like average civilians. A female civilian shrieked at the mess Chaos had left.

"You think the same person who did a number on those three teenage boys did this too, Joe?" One of the officers asked looking over the bodies.

"I don't think it was a person at all." Another man replied. "Look at these claw marks." He pointed to a body.

_________________Half an hour later____________________

"What's the report?" One of the officers asked a doctor.

"That one took a severe beating to the head which triggered a heart attack. The one against the wall had his corroded artery severed open, he bled out. The two over there too major blows to the torso, causing their chest cavity to collapse. The faceless one, you can pretty much guess that his mouth and nose closed over and were no longer usable, he suffocated. That one had his skulled cracked wide open." The doctor pointed to each body as he described the problems. "This is a really sick killer. I've never seen anything like this. The shear strength it must've taken to cause these injuries."

"What do you think we're dealing with here?" An officer came up to them while the other doctors and officers prepared the bodies to go back to the life stream.

"I don't know, but I'm really starting to get annoyed. 9 people dead. The number has tripled from last time. I want to know what possible motives this crackpot might have. It doesn't look like he's killing for pleasure, so there must be a bigger reason." The other officer said.

"I'll get some people to check the reports on who's come in recently to Neibelheim and hasn't left yet. This whole thing only started a few weeks ago perhaps there might be to usable information there." The officer turned and left the alley.

I rolled over on my back, staring up at the night sky. The snow had made my cloths damp and frigid. I shivered while I stared up at the moon while more snow flakes landed on my dense eye lashes. I lifted my hand to my face to take a better look at it. Blood ran down my fingers and a few stray drops landed on my face. I sighed. I'd finally let this monster get the better of me. There was no coming back from this. As today, October 10th, my death toll had gone up to 13. In three days it would be my birthday. What an excellent present I've given myself. Father was right… I was a danger to society. I was so reckless back there… 6 men. What would've happened if one had gotten away? I would be discovered soon enough. Limiting myself to only a few victims at a time would probably be the easiest path to go for the time being. I shivered some more as I thought to myself.

"Hey, you!" A woman was standing on the roof of the building. I'd been too absorbed in my own thoughts that I let my guard down. "What do you thinking you're doing up here?"

I sat up to look at her. I recognized her as one of the police officers that had investigated the mess in the alley. I gazed at her through hazy eyes; I felt my energy slowly draining.

"You…" Her eyes widened as she looked me over. Blood stained my hair and was scattered across my face. Her eyes trailed down to my torso and then to my hands. Like a cherry snow cone, the blood on my hands dyed the colour of the snow around me a tasty crimson. She pulled out a small handgun from her pocket and pointed it at me. "So you're the one behind all these murders! Stand up and put your hands behind your head!" She pulled out a pair of handcuffs from her pocket. "On your feet!" She took a step closer to me.

I blinked at her but remained motionless. My stomach let out a monstrous growl. I clutched my abdomen with my bloody hand and winced in pain. "Can I have a snack first?"

"I said on your feet!" She hollered at me. I didn't want to kill this woman. Mainly, because she was a girl. Killing guys was one thing; but woman should be treated with respect and dignity.

"Don't come any closer!" I covered my face with my other hand. She did the opposite and I found the barrel of her gun pointed at me head. "Please… I'm hungry and need to eat."

"I don't care jack ass you're going to jail!"

"For what?" I decided to stall for time until I could think of how to make my great escape.

"For murder of the first degree." Her eyes narrowed.

"Do you really follow all orders given to you?"

"Yes." She said in a stern voice.

"It started out as an act to protect some one, but I've discovered that if I want to live on, I need to continue. Is that such a wrong thing?" She was silent as I spoke. "Is it not the same that you're going to kill me to protect the locals; that you get paid for putting people behind bars and are able to have money for food and shelter for your family? Are you not on the same level as me?"

"No! You kill for pleasure, I. for justice." She pushed the gun to my head.

I felt rage swell up inside me. I encased the wrist of the arm that was holding the gun with my own hand and pointed it away from me. I felt my body shift slightly. I didn't need full demon for this one girl. "Not for pleasure… for food." The last thing that escaped her lips was a sigh. I dug Chaos' fangs deeply into her neck. I began to drink her body dry. This wasn't Chaos' doing… I was in control, I was letting it happen. Her frail body hung limp in my arms as I drank the remainder of her blood. I let go of her body and it hit the cold rooftop with a thud. I stumbled back and fell to my knees. I had used up the last bit of my energy, but at least I wasn't hungry anymore. I fell over onto my side and my eyelids closed automatically.

* * *

"What are you going to do with him?" A young mans voice asked.

"When they come for our _checkups _in a couple of days they're bound to find him. Who knows what will happen if they do." A second man said.

"Angeal, Genesis, leave this to me. No one else is to know about him. After all, we've all gone through our share of nightmares." A third voice said. I opened my eyes slowly and looked around my surroundings. I was in my dorm lying in bed wearing clean cloths. The three men that I had heard were none other then my roommate Sephiroth, and his two friends Angeal and Genesis.

"What's going on…?" I asked in a raspy voice as I sat up from my bed and rubbed my eyes.

"You're lucky that Sephiroth found you when he did." Angeal said, as he rested his back against the wall opposite me.

"I saw the whole thing Vincent." Sephiroth said.

I gasped… that meant… he knew…I…? Was…going to turn me in? I stiffened.

Genesis burst into laughter. "Did you think you were the only one?"

"What?" I gave him a confused expression.

"I'll talk to him about it. You two leave us." Sephiroth commanded his two allies. They nodded and left the room, slamming the door behind them. "You knew my mother."

"I'm still confused."

"Then shut up and let me explain." Sephiroth snarled. "My mother is Dr. Lucrecia Crescent, the successor to your father, Dr. Grimoire Valentine. I've done some research since you came to this school. I thought I'd heard your name some where before but I couldn't remember where. Now I know; it seemed like you spent a great deal of time at her work. That's how the two of us are linked. My mother was studying you; however I don't know what she discovered. I've also never met my mother, she's written me letter but never came to visit me. My father is one of the lead Scientists in the entire world. I don't know what's going on with my body, but a lot of changes have happened. I'm stronger and faster then anyone else."

"Lucrecia…?" I let the name roll on my tongue.

"A lot of the kids in this school are part of various experiments. Genesis, Angeal, Cloud, Zack, myself and a select few other people are being studied. That's what Angeal meant when he said that people were coming for our checkups." Sephiroth looked out the dorm window as he continued to talk. "Me? I want to know more. I want to know what exactly is going on. We're never told anything in our checkups. I want to know what makes me so different from anyone else. Wouldn't you like to know more about what you are instead of spending the rest of your life wondering what's happening to you? Don't you want to know the purpose to you existence?"

"Yes… I've often wanted to know why I was kept in the dark."

"Then we shall find out together," Sephiroth turned to face me and extended his right arm for a handshake of agreement. I took his hand.

"What's the plan then?" I asked, releasing his hand.

"The trains have been sealed off from here, because of your…well, work. So we're going to have to go by foot which will take quite a few days." Sephiroth fumbled around in his dresser for a map and spread it across my bed. He pointed to a spot on it and said, "We're right here, we need to get to Midgar. Our plan is to pass threw Kalm and hitch a ride to edge from there. After that it's only a week's walk to Midgar."

"When you say _**we**__?_"

"You, Angeal, Genesis and I," Sephiroth folded up the map and put it back into his dresser. "We leave in tomorrow at sunset."

* * *

"_Vincent? Are you awake?" Tifa smiled brilliantly in the young mans face._

_Just then the Vincent's stomach growled loudly. Tifa giggled._

"_Sounds like you're hungry!" She leaned in and kissed him on the lips. Vincent reached up and grabbed her firmly by the shoulders. He met her eyes as they began to change from a fiery crimson to a brilliant yellow. Sharpened fangs protruded from his upper jaw just before a low snarl escaped from his chest. Tifa gasped in shock as she tried to wriggle herself out of his grasp. She felt his body changing underneath her. His shoulders broadened and all of his muscles began to tighten. Vincent grimaced as a set of wings routed their way out from deep within his back. His nails grew longer and dug forcefully into Tifas shoulders. She shrieked in pain. The scent of her blood wafted through Vincent's nostrils. She cried out his name but it was too late; Vincent had thrown her to the ground and was crouching over top of her. He plunged his teeth deep into her neck. Tifa tried her hardest to get out from under him but he had become too strong. She called out for some one to help her but nobody came. She reached up and tried to punch him in the face. The brunette managed to smack his nose. Vincent recoiled and let go of her shoulders, only to break Tifa's arms as if he were breaking a toothpick. _

_Tifa heard the sickening crack of her limbs before she could feel the pain. She wanted to live so she ignored the pain and started kicking franticly. Vincent took a foot to the stomach and felt the air whoosh out of his mouth as he became winded. He took his finger and dug it deeply into her ankle, and then he ran it up to her knee, slowly and painfully. He liked hearing her in pain. Tears burst from Tifa's eyes. She cried for him to stop but he began to mangle her legs with his fingernails in different areas. _

"Vincent!" Tifa's voice cried out once more. My eyes shot open to see her smiling in my face next to my bed. She startled me and I fell backwards off the bed. "Sorry! Didn't mean to scare you."

"Don't worry about it," I stood up and brushed myself off.

"Did you want to talk about anything?"

I shook my head and made my bed.

"Sorry, let me rephrase that; what happened last night?" She folded her arms across her chest. Tifa furled her eyebrows.

"I don't like to sing." I walked over to my dresser to look for clean cloths.

"Bull shit, you and I both know that's not why you left. Look at you! You think you've got it so damn hard! You hate being alone, so let people in! Sure you act like you don't want to do things with people, but I don't see you saying no when people offer. Vincent I care about you and I don't like it when you're upset." She sat down on my bed.

"There are some things I keep secret not because I want to, but because I have to." I leaned on my bed so that we were eye level with each other.

"Why do you act like I won't understand…?" Her eyes shifted to her hands as she talked in a distant voice.

"It's not that I don't think you'll understand it's that you might not want to understand. Hell, I barely understand myself."

"Maybe we can help each other! I know we can."

"There's no cure for what's wrong with me and there probably never will be."

"That may be true, but that's no reason to give up."

"I've long since given up."

Without warning Tifa struck me on the side of my face. Then she wrapped her arms around my neck and pulled me closer so that we could exchange a kiss. As I moved towards her, her body fell back against my bed. Still clinging to me neck she pulled me closer still until I was directly on top of her. "I love you," She said breathlessly as she broke the kiss. I leant in again, hearing those three words no ones ever told me before and continue to kiss her. By this point in time a certain part of my male anatomy where seeming to be in control of my movements. Her mouth opened slightly and I plunged my tongue deep into her mouth. She let go of my neck and her hands ran down my chest to when the hem of my shirt was. She tugged it slowly upwards. I broke the kiss to let her pull my shirt off my head and then began to smooch again. My own hand went to her neck where the zipper of her vest was I slowly unzipped it and discarded it to the floor. I felt her body shiver underneath mine. I pulled off her white tank-top to reveal her lacy black bra.

Her fingers danced against my chest and drifted down to my waist line. I broke the kiss again and helped her pull down my pants because she didn't have long enough arms to get them all the way down past my ankles. I brought my hands to the top of her skirt and laced my fingers around the edges. I gave her skirt a gentle tug and slid it down her bare legs, leaving the two of us in our underwear. Tifa sat up and pulled off my boxers. I crept forward and unhooked her bra then slid of her matching panties in a similar style that I had done with her skirt. I gently pushed her back down on the bed. The blood in my head had gone to a completely different part of my body now. There was no going back. I positioned myself to start my entry. I entered slightly then withdrew to renter farther. I trusted myself deeper and deeper into her. Her nails dug into my back as she moaned in pleasure. As I began to keep a rhythm, she seemed to synchronize to it. She arched her back and pushed her chest against mine as she cried out when she climaxed. Shortly after, I climaxed inside of her. I withdrew myself and fell down on the mattress next to her. The two of us panting madly. A smile was on her lips as she turned to face me.

She nuzzled her face into my chest as I wrapped my arms around her. No words were spoken between us for the longest time. The sun started peeking through the curtains of the one window in my dorm.

"We should get up before someone finds us like this," I said gently, her face still pressed against my chest.

"You're right," Tifa pushed herself off the bed and scrambled to put her cloths back on. I put on a clean pair of cloths, my all black ensemble as per usual. I finger comb my hair so that it look slightly less wild then put my red bandana on my forehead to restrict my hair from becoming wild again. I took Tifa's hand and left the room. We walked along to the cafeteria for breakfast and to sit with the others. This might be the last _normal _breakfast I'd ever have with them. Tifa and I sat down at the usual table and were greeted by the others. Yuffie and Barret were still in Wutai by the looks of it.

"Good morning!" Aerith smiled.

"Good morning," Tifa replied.

"How'd you sleep Tifa?" Aerith asked.

"Great! Got a full night of sleep." Tifa blushed brilliantly. No doubt she was thinking about what had happened earlier this morning.

I noticed Angeal get up from his table and start walking towards me out of the corner of my eyes. He tapped me on the shoulder and motioned for me to follow him. I left the group of my friends and followed him into the hallway outside of the cafeteria. He turned to face me once he established that no one else could see or hear the two of us talking. "Change of plans. Because of last nights late-night-attack the schools going to be on lock down. Nobody gets in, nobody gets out. We're going to leave before that happens; so get all the things you need. We're all meeting up in your room. I'd suggest packing lightly. Take only what you'll be able to carry the entire way." Angeal and I went our separate ways.

Moving swiftly, I went back to my dorm and searched my closet for my bag. I didn't have very much things with me so I pack everything I had brought. It was easy, just piling all my stuff into a side satchel that went around one shoulder. Sephiroth came into the room and nodded at me. He pulled out a back pack similar in size to mine. Angeal and Genesis entered the room shortly after. I saw that the three of them had their jackets on so I put mine on also. Then one by one we crept quietly of my dorm and down the halls. Carefully stepping so that we didn't make any noise. I noticed that they were all carrying different types of swords. Angeal was carrying a thick, heavy sword on his back and a slightly smaller one around his waist, Genesis had a red sword with special inscriptions on it tied onto his waist, and Sephiroth and a 6ft katana strapped to his back. Great… I was the only one without a weapon. I didn't even get to say good bye to my friends, especially Tifa. They were all out of danger without me hanging around them. It was safer for them to be around normal people.

Genesis pulled the fire alarm so nobody on surveillance would see our great escape because they'd be attending to the _fire_.

Genesis burst into laughter as soon as we were out of Neibelheim. "That was fun!"

Sephiroth sighed and rolled his eyes as he continued to walk onward.

"So Vincent, what exactly are you hoping to find?" Genesis seemed to be happy.

I said nothing. Truth be told, I wasn't sure what I was looking for.

"Me? I'm looking for the gift of the goddess! _Infinite __in mystery is the gift of the goddess…" _Genesis began to quote something.

"_We seek it thus, and take it to the sky  
Ripples form on the water's surface  
The wandering soul knows no rest_," Sephiroth and Angeal interrupted Genesis and finished the poem their selves.

"It's going to be a long trip if you continue quoting Loveless," Angeal sighed.

We walked all day. By now the sun was starting to set so we traveled off road and found a place to make camp deeply in the forest. Angeal made a fire for us as I found rocks to outline the fire so the flames wouldn't get out of control. I laid down on the ground and soon felt sleep consume me. I'd never felt so exhausted.


End file.
